In observance of Women’s History Month, 12 performers from the United Womyn’s Council and the GCC Theatre Guild will present “The Vagina Monologues” at the auditorium today.

The performance is a collection of the voices of more than 200 women that playwright Eve Ensler collected and turned into a set of monologues.

The title itself has been causing quite a stir among people coming across it for the first time.
“I had a prejudice first because it was named Vagina,” said Nikki Davis, president of the United Womyn’s Council. “But when I got involved because it was a project to stop violence against women, I found it so powerful that I heard the voice of every woman in it. I can even say it with pride now because it is the `Vagina Monologues.’

“People who don’t know anything about the play worry that it’s a male-bashing event, and that’s not what it’s about,” said Mary Sullivan, co-president of the United Womyn’s Council. “It’s about women finding their voice and talking to each other in a very truthful way. It’s very direct and very honest.”

The monologues range from very comic to very serious in nature. There is one on how an 8-year-old girl as she views her vagina, and another on a woman’s vagina that was violated when she was raped during war.

Ensler wrote “The Vagina Monologues” in an effort to stop violence against violence. Most of the proceeds will be donated to a local charity for women.

The play was also performed on Thursday. This year the United Womyn’s Council chose to donate most of its profits to the YWCA Domestic Violence Project. The rest of the proceeds are being donated to the Women of Afghanistan fund.

“It’s very simple; the concept is to end violence,” said Davis. “I have to agree with Eve’s concept that violence can be ended immediately if everyone is aware that we can live without it.”

(The play will be performed in the GCC auditorium at 8 p.m. Call (818) 240-1000, Ext. 5618 for ticket information.)